Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1887-08-11
The Wild Tribes of the Bombay
Forests.


Forests.
The report of the Bombay Forest
Commission contains some interesting
information about the wild tribes OF
the Konkan, the strip Of land in Bonn
bay that lies between the Western
Chat. and the Arabian Sea. The wild
tribes are a great number Of persons
of different aboriginal races, who lead
an unsettled life and who subs,st for
the greater part Of the year on the
wages they earn as carriers and DIS
tributors Of forest produce among the
local residents.
There are three distinct wild tribes
left-thc Katkaris 10000 strong; the
Thakurs, 80, 900 and the Narlis, 20, 900
in strength individuals who lead a
savage LIE altogether, and exc out a
precarious living by q sporadic hill
cultivation, by collecting forest pro-
ducc for barter or sale at the nearest
markets, and also to certain extent
by killing and eating various sorts Of
wild animals. They live in miserable
novels in or near the forests The
Thatkurs are an unsettled tribe, ready
TO change their hamlet if a child sick
ems OF COW dies They wear scarce
ly any clothes, eat the cOarsest food,
love Incidence aud dissipation, have
no thought for the future, ard spend
all they can in drink. Still, as a rule,
they are quiet and peaceable and live
odogcthcr by themselves. They Meth
CT borrow nor steal They are truth
full, honest, teachabc, and harmless,
They are Woodworking the women
doing quite rs much work rs the men,
and they are much more thrifty and
more sober than either the Narlis or
Katkaris. Some of their villages are
very orderly and clean, the people
showing much respect to the headman,
who belongs to their own caste Tha-
kur means "a chief" and in days very
remote they probably had position
Of some standing.
The Katkaris, or makers of Kat
that is, catechu are the poorest and
least hopeful of the three tribes
drunken, given to thieying, and IN
willing to work In 1925, according
to Bishop Hebcr, they were charcoal
burners, but so wild and scared that
they would have no direct dealings
with tho people of the plain. They
brought head loads Of charcoal to par
ticular spots, whence il was carried
away by the villagers, who left In its
place a customary payment of rice,
clothing, and iron tools Eleven years
later Major Macintosh described
them as great thieves, stealing corn
from fields and farmyards, commit
ting rohbcrcs in the village at night,
and plundering lonely travellers dur
ing the day Their women work hard,
acting as laborcrs, and bring into
market the head loads of wood their
husbands have gathered in the forests.
They are very poor, generally in rags,
ana often without any wholesome food.
As soon as they get together few pence
they spend it in drink and tobacco.
A small body of them, however, will
not eat cows meat, and are allowed to
draw water at the village wells and to
enter kunbi houses.
The third tribe, the Narlis, are CON
siderably better oil They are very
innocent and harmless. but immoder-
ately fond of liquor. They commit
crimes of violence only whom they are
drunk aud they join in thefts and
gang tobberics only when they are
starving. Among themselves they are
extremely fond of fun, and very So
ciablc. With strangers they are timid
at first hut with Europeans whom they
know they are frank andNcry truthful.
Nothing will induce t.cm to leave
the forests. They are .,sionately
fond of sport, and viii take their guns
into the forest and stay there for days
together shooting ,aubhm bhcnkrL
pcacocks, and Jungle and -pw fowls
over the forest pools and springs.
These type, of savage life are to be
found w'laiu an nuur or Gwen half an
hours Journey of Bombay.